Monday marks a momentous occasion for the people of the union territory of Ladakh when a six-member strong joint delegation of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance will meet Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai and other officials of the ministry of Home Affairs, to discuss the safeguards for the region, and break the months-long logjam that has held Ladakh hostage ever since the region was reorganised into a full-fledged union territory in the year 2023.
Thupstan Chhewang, a two-time Lok Sabha member from Ladakh, Chering Dorjey and Nawang Rigzin Jora, Qamar Ali Akhoon, all three former Ministers in previous J&K Governments, Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie, a former MLA and Sajjad Kargili have left for New Delhi on Sunday, and in their support, noted activist Sonam Wangchuk lead the region in holding a one-day fast in Leh, which will be followed by a seven-day-long climate fast, second by Wangchuk in this year.
These LAB and KDA are coalitions of socio-religious, political and youth organisations of Leh and Kargil districts and were formed after August 5, 2019, when the Centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into Union territories of J-K and Ladakh. They later joined hands and came out with the four-point agenda and held a series of protests in Leh, Kargil, Jammu and Delhi.
The talks will be held on their four-point agenda, including the demand for full statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to the region, early recruitment process including a separate Public Service Commission for Ladakh and making the jobs in the region exclusive to Ladakhis, besides separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
As part of the national priority and also local sensitivity, Ladakh administration has already adopted a series of climate sensitive approaches, an area largely ignored when the Himalayan desert was part of the Jammu and Kashmir State, but recent developments have highlighted that stakeholders need more measures for protecting glaciers and ecology. That sixth schedule is a perquisite for protecting Ladakh’s climate is not something on which there is a large consensus, and there certainly are a number of alternate measures one could adopt.
A detailed study conducted by this publication independently reveals that the administration must start focussing on three key areas which are tourism, transport and hospitality. The Ladakhi civil society must chalk out doable measures with the UT administration to be put in place to protect Ladakh’s fragile climate. The government must tread cautiously on this track.
While it needs to pay heed, and address the trust deficit along with the local aspirations, it must also view the situation from the perspective of national security and integration. There is no doubt that over the years, Ladakh has become the most sensitive region of the country, from the point of view of security. The tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control are at their peaks, while Pakistan on the side is also attempting to formant trouble in the region.
While the government must hear the tenable demands of the residents of Ladakh and act upon them, there is no second thought that the national interest must come at the top of the dialogue to be held on Monday.
